St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-02
PELIED BY HALL.
a Severe Hail and Wind Storm,
Following a Hot Day, Sweeps
Over st. Paul. IL
Black Skies and zigzag Lightning
Led the People to Fear
a Cyclone. ..sss
Many Took to the Cellars Until 1t Was
Over, But Their Fears We're
Groundless,
Though the Storm God Sent Out Volley
That Shivered Far and
Near,
And the Wind Blew Down Frail
Buildings and Tore Up the
Sidewalks.
Many Minor Losses to Proper ty, Bul
No Loss of Life Re-
ported.

which came over ST. Gaul on the morning
of May 1-yeSterday-cam one OF the
most severe hail storms that is remembered
in this city. 1t did damage that can not
easily be stated in the way of smashing
windows and frightening the populace,
though few if any serious effects have been
reported. The forenoon was as bright as was
ever May day. with pretty strong wind,
hot and dry, that swept up all the dust
from the streets and lodged large Quanti-
ties of it in the eyes of pedestrians. The
wind continued all the afternoon, and the
sun was scorching hot until nearly
4 o'clock. The thermometer in Sc
cluded spots was up in the
eighties. At about o'clock, far off to the
westward and scarcely above the horizon,
could been seen a bank of clouds. not black,
but rather blush, tinged with yellow. 1t
stretched across third of the horizon, and
kept growing upward on the sky, its color
changing more and more to black. The
wind was not as high, as the storm came
on, and the air was sitting. There was
general Scudding of pedestrians to get home
before the storm burst. and for half an hour
before the cloud broke over the city the
streets We're lonesome. The dark cloud grew
darker until it was black. and as it came
nearer its Solidity was broken, and instead
of one large bank there were projections
and outings like jagged boulderS. Oc-
casionally a streak of
ZIG-ZAG LIGHTNING
ran across the cloud and the dark mass was
lighted up until it was yellow. The cloud
dropped apparently to lower stratum as it
came on, though it was high as storm clouds
go, when it had spread over the whole city.
1t grew dark. Gas jets were lighted in the
restaurants and in other public places down
town two hours earlier than the season
calls for. People talked of cyclones and
remarked that the day was one on which
funnel-Shaped clouds might naturally be
expected. In many cases people took to
the cellars to be prepared for the worst
should cyclone come. The storm came
slowly, and it was nearly an hour after the
sky was overcast before drop of rain fell.
1t was fortunate that this was so as
few were caught out when the hail came.
The wind began blowing again about $3.50
o'clock with Increased fury, and fifteen
minutes later it began to sprinkle. For
ten minutes the big drops came, scattering
at, first and then in shower. At o'clock
it was so dark one could hardly see to read
without light. and then the hail began to
come. 1t was like vOlley out of a Cat
ling gun. The buildings were pelted until
the rattle was like that from dozen full
bands made up of snare drums. 1t was de-
cidedly tough for those persons who
CHANGED to be out of doors and unprotected.
Stiff hats were nowhere, and such persons
were fortunate if they escaped without
broken heads. The hailstorm lasted but
few minutes, and was followed by rain.
which was also of short dura-
tion. Thunder and lightning were
almost continuous but distant. and
only added to the din of the storm, a touch
OF Sublimity that was not dangerous. The
hailstones were of unusual size. and there
are well authenticated cases of several
which would have stunned man if they
had struck him. Special Officer Grady,
whose home is at the corner of German and
Dearborn streets, in West st. Paul, said
that he saw three of the hailstones meas
ured which were respectively three. three
and quarter and three and a half inches
III diameter. W. d. Childs measured one
which was nine inches in circumference, or
about the same size as those reported by
Mr.. Grady. This was picked up OH Fourth
street, near the corner of st. Peter. From
this size, of which there were compala-
lively few, they varied to the size of peas,
the greater proportion being about the size
of robins egg. In walking block any
where down town basketful could be
found as
LARGE AS A SMALL LEMON.
The hail stones were white as snow on
the outside while the centerS were of clear
green ice as hard as that of which the
palace was built last winter. The white
outer crust seemed to be made up of num-
bers of the smaller sized stones, closely
packed around the nucleus and sOlidly
frozen. Many of them were not round but
very flat, looking as if they had been
round but had been worn away by some
grinding process which left a brightly
polished surface. The ground was not
whitened, the storm was of such short
duration, but at the bottoms of caves spouts,
and close up to the sides of
buildings which had detected them,
there were white piles of ice that would
withstand a half hours sunshine before
melting. Windows on the exposed sides
OF buildings were smashed regardlessly,
and lamps at the street corners were shat
tered in many cases.
IN THE COMO DISTRICT.
The hurricane seemed to be the fiercest
In the Como district. Between University
and Como avenues fully 600 feet of side
walk were torn up and blown into the street
and adjoining lots. The front of the
Peoples Ice company's house on Western
avenue was almost entirely demolished.
entailing loss of fully 81, 500. A. Smiths
boat house Oh Como avenue was scattered
in all directions for nearly block, and no
two boards were found fastened together.
Four small boats in the house were con-
sderably damaged. Mr.. Smith places his
loss at 81, 500. A two-story brick house Oh
the corner of Rice street and Aurora ave-
nue lost 175 feet of cornice. A frame
house on the corner of Charles
and Gaultier streets was moved from
lis foundation and otherwise injured. An
other house near it was moved from its
foundation and damaged to the extent of
500. The sidewalk at each end of the
Rice street bridge was torn up and scat
tered in all directions. and all of the saloons
and stores near the bridge were damaged to
greater or less extent by broken glass;
The lumber in Keller's yard near the corner
of Rice and Blair streets was scattered in
all directions. AS far as known, however,
nobody was injured by the flying debris.
The high wind tore the roof partially
from Elevator b. so it was reported, and
at several places where buildings are in
process of construction and exposed to the
fury of the wind there was
MORE OR LESS DAMAGE
from a scattering of small timbers and
other building material. In the Garfield
school house at West st. Paul fiftysor sixty
large panes of glass were shivered to
atoms. and the German Lutheran
church near by had quite loss in